Animal trap



pri 24, 1934. H. w. MCCREARY ANIMAL TRAP Filed May 29, 1933 @JTW QSL-CQ ATTORN EY Jig-4.

M5L-Q Patented Apr. 24, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ANIMAL TRAP Harry W. McCreary, Lititz, Pa., assigner to Animal Trap Company of America, Lititz, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 29, 1933, Serial No. 673,357

' 5 claims. (ol. i3-sa) My invention consists in the novel features provided with an enlargement to prevent its dishereinafter described, reference being had to the engagementy from the eye, 5. '7 indicates a heliaccompanying drawing which illustrates one emcal spring for the jaw through which the pivot A bodiment of the same selected by me for purposes shaft, 4, extends, the spring being provided at ofv illustration, and the said invention is fully one end with an arm, 8, engaging the base, 1, 6o disclosed in the following description and claims. and at the other end with an arm, 9, having a My invention is an improvement in animal hook portion, 9a, engaging one of the arms of traps of the kind in which a pivotally mounted the jaw, in this instance the arm, 2b. vThe jaw locking bar is provided vfor holding the jaw of is pivotally connected to the base by means of 10 the trap in set position. Such locking bars are staples, indicated at 4a, engaging the pivot shaft, 65

ordinarily provided with a detent portion for en- 4, adjacent to the arms, 2a and 2b. gaging the jaw and a setting shoulder below ysaid 10 represents the locking bar, which may be detent, and extending rearwardly (or forwardly) conveniently stamped or`otherwise formed from of the pivotal connection, and arranged in the sheet metal4 of the required thickness and .15 path of the jaw when moved into setting posistrength. This bar is provided with a wider por- 70 tion, for the purpose of rocking the locking bar tion adjacent to its rear end, in which there is on its pivotal connection to facilitate the setting formed a slot, v11, at the upper edge of which of the trap automatically. Traps of this general is a detent, 12, adapted to be engaged by the type are usually made for catching mice and rats crossbar or striker, 3, in the set position, as indi- '20 and are sold at an extremely low price, and my cated in Fig. 2. At the lower side of the slot or 75 invention has for its object to provide a more recess, 11, is a setting shoulder, indicated at 13, efficient locking bar, and at the same time to simextending rearwardly beyond the detent, 12, and plify its construction and facilitate its assembly adapted to be engaged by the striker, 3, in setwith the other parts of the trap, and thereby reting the trap. The rear end portion of the lockduce the manufacturing costs thereof. ing bar is provided with a pivotal aperture, indis0 In the accompanying drawing I have illuscated at-14, below the recess, 11, and preferably trated an embodiment of my invention in an auhaving greater extent in a direction substantialtomatic or self setting trap in which the bait ly longitudinally of the locking bar than transpedal is counterweighted, but it is to be underversely thereof, to accommodate a pivotal supstood that my invention is applicable to other porting member, indicated at 15, which is ap- .85

forms of automatic or semi-automatic traps, in proximately oblong in cross section. This p0rwhich a pivotally mounted locking bar for the tion of the locking bar is also provided withl a purposes mentioned is employed. vertically disposed slot, indicated at 16, which Referring to the accompanying drawing, connects the notch or recess, 11, with the piv- Fig. 1 is a plan view of a self-setting trap havotal aperture, 14, at or adjacent to the forward 90 ing my invention embodied therein, showing it end of said'aperture, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. in sprung position. The pivotal supporting member, 15, may be Fig. 2 is a central vertical longitudinal section provided in many ways, but is preferably formed of the same, showing it in set position. as'an integral part of a staple, which is driven .40 Fig. 3 is a detail view illustrating the method into or otherwise secured to the base, 1. I prefer 95 of assembling the locking bar with its pivotal to employ forv this purpose, a staple constructed support. as indicated in the drawing, the blank for which Fig. 4 is a detail view oi the blank for a staple is illustrated in Fig. 4. As therein shown, the which preferably provides the pivotal support staple comprises two rectangular plates, 17, 17,

for the locking bar. each provided with a clinching point or tang, 18, 100

In the drawing, 1, represents the base ofthe terminating at its inner end in shoulders, 19, for trap, which in this instance is made of wood. engaging the upper face 0f the base,1,and1imit 2 represents the pivoted jaw, which comprises ing the GXSII 'G0 Which the points, 13, may be in this instance the side arms, 2a, 2b, connected vdriven IIO the base- The Plates@ 17, 17, are C011- by the crossbar 0r striker, 3, which is integra1 nected by a narrow part, oblong in cross section, 105

therewith. One of the arms, in this instance, Which fOlmS the pleVOllSlY deSClbGd DVOBJ Sull- Varm 2b, is provided with a pivot shaft, indicated DOI OI the locking bar. The Staple iS COIIllOle-d yat 4, integral therewith, and having a portion, 6, by bending the Side plaeS, 17. 17, 111130 parallelism, extending through an eye, 5, at the inner end as best shown in Fig. 1, preparatory to assembling 05 of the arm, 2a, and upset as shown, or otherwise the pivotal support, 15, with respect to the locking bar, in the manner indicated in Fig. 3. This assembly is performed before the staple is operatively connected with the base, and it will be seen from Fig. 3, that by placing the parts in the position therein shown, the pivotal support, 15, can be introduced through the notch or recess, 11, thence through the connecting slot, 16, to the pivotal aperture, 14, by swinging the locking bar with respect to the staple, in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3. When these parts have been assembled, the points, 18, of the staple are forced into the base so as to bring the pivotal support, 15, at the proper distance from the'pivot shaft, 4, of the jaw, and the points may be clinched in the usual manner. It will be seen that the parallel plates, 17, of the staple tend to act as gu-ides to hold the locking bar at substantially right angles to the pivotal support, 15.

In the trap here shown, 20, represents the bait pedal provided with a bait holding portion, 21, a trigger portion, 22, for engaging the forward end of the locking bar, and the bait pedal is provided at its rear end, with downwardly extending wings, 23, forming an open slot, 24, between them. The bait pedal is pivotally connected with the base, preferably at a point in rear of the pivotal shaft, 4, and in this instance the wings, 23, are shown as provided with pivotal apertures, vone of which is indicated at 25, which are engaged by a staple, indicated at 26, which is driven into the base.

The normal position of the locking bar is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

It will be seen that the shoulder, 13, ofthe locking bar extends rearwardly of the pivotal support, 15, and in order to set the trap it is only necessary to swing the jaw, 2, through approximately 180, which will bring it into engagement with the shoulder, 13, and thereby tilt the locking bar into the position shown in Fig. 2, so as to bring the forward end, 10a, thereof above the trigger portion, 22, of the bait pedal, and at the same time carry the detent, 12, above the position occupied by the crossbar or striker, 3. On releasing the jaw, the crossbar, 3, will engage the detent, 12, and exert upward pressure thereon, thus causing the forward end, 10a, to bear downwardly on the trigger, 22. Any downward movement of the forward end of the bait pedal, as by an animal endeavoring to secure the bait, will rock the bait pedal and release the forward end of the locking bar when the upward pressure of the crossbar, 3, on the detent, 12, will rock the locking bar on its pivotal support, 15, into its normal position, indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and thereby release the jaw, which returns to its normal position and strikes the animal.

By forming the notch, 11, the connecting slot and the pivotal aperture, 14, in the manner described, the construction of the locking Vbar is simplified and the assembly of the locking bar with its pivotal support is greatly facilitated, while at the same time the accidental disengagement of the locking bar from its pivotal support is positively prevented as soon as the staple forming part of the pivotal support has been secured in position with respect to the base. The engagement of the longitudinal elongated pivotal aperture, 14, with the correspondingly shaped substantially pivotal support, renders it impossible to raise the forward end of the locking bar very much above the position which it occupies when in engagement with the trigger, 22, and the locking bar cannot be swung downwardly below the v upper face of the base, and therefore cannot be accidentally disconnected from the pivotal support, 15.

It will also be seen that the provision of the connecting slot extending upwardly from the pivotal aperture to the inner end of the notch or recess leaves the bar otherwise unperforated, and therefore stronger than would be the case if a connecting slot extended downwardly or laterally to the edge of the metal.

' What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a trap, the combination with a base, a pivoted spring actuated jaw, and a bait pedal provided with a trigger portion, of a locking bar provided with a trigger engaging portion and a jaw engaging detent, and a jaw engaging setting shoulder separated from said jaw engaging detent by a recess and further provided with a pivotal aperture, and a slot connecting said aperture with said recess, and a pivotal support connected with said base and engaging said pivotal aperture, said slot providing a passage for said pivotal support in assembling said bar therewith. l

2. In a trap, the combination with a base, a pivoted springv actuated jaw, and aV bait pedal provided with a trigger portion, of a locking bar provided with a trigger engaging portion and a jaw engaging detent, and a jaw engaging setting shoulder separated from said jaw engaging detent by a recess and further provided with a pivotal aperture of unequal diameters, having its greater diameter extending substantially longitudinally of said bar, and having a substantially vertically disposed slot of a width substantially equal to the lesser diameter of the pivotal aperture, connecting said aperture with said recess, and a pivotal support having unequal diameters connected with said base and engaging said pivotal aperture, said slot providing a passage for said pivotal support in assembling said bar therewith.

3. In a trap, the combination with a base, a pivoted spring actuated jaw, and a bait pedal provided with a trigger portion, of a locking bar provided with a trigger engaging portion and a jaw engaging detent, and ajaw engaging setting shoulder separated from said jaw engaging detent by a recess and further provided with a pivotal aperture of unequal diameters, having its greatest diameter extending substantially longitudinally of the bar, and having a subsbtantially vertical slot of a width substantially equal to the lesser diameter of said pivotal aperture, connecting the forward end of said aperture with the inner end of said recess, and a pivotal support connected to said base and engaging said pivotal aperture, said pivotal support having unequal diameters, the greater diameter thereof being disposed substantially parallel with the adjacent surface of the base, said slot providing a passage for said pivotal support in assembling said bar therewith. l

4. A locking bar for an animal trap, comprising a flat metal bar provided adjacent to one end with a trigger engaging portion and adjacent to the other end with a detent, a setting shoulder separated from said vdetent by a recess, and a pivotal aperture elongated substantially longitudinally of said bar, and connected at one end with the inner portion of said recess by a slot extending substantially transversely of said bar, said slot permitting insertion of a pivot transversely thereof and Vlongitudinally of said slot into said pivotaly aperture.

erture connecting said pivotal aperture adjacent to one end of the same with the inner end of said recess, and a pivotal support connected with the base and engaging said pivotal aperture, said slot providing a passage for said pivotal support from said recess to the pivotal aperture in assembling said bar therewith.

HARRY W. MCCREARY. 

